Amazon unveiled the new tablet. They call it the Fire HD 8. So, this new tablet has Alexa the Amazon voice. Therefore, Amazon’s new tablet?meets Alexa. Will they get along?
The Fire HD 8 is the first tablet that has Alexa’s support. But you don’t have to talk or shout to her. Hold down the home button and watch Alexa come to life. Also, it takes the same voice command as Amazon’s popular Echo devices. But be careful. Sure, use the Fire HD 8 to command Alexa while watching TV. But telling Alexa what to do while chopping wood or cutting potatoes…not a good idea. Due to one hand being on the home button, you’re limited to following Alexa’s instruction. What if you need both hands to do something?
Nonetheless, you can’t beat the price. The Fire HD 8 costs $90. It has super speed, but many complain about bad battery life. From what I read, it’s about 10 hours. Apparently, the new Alexa feature costs the user nothing. They didn’t mark up the price when they added this new feature. Some are notorious for doing this. There’s also the experiment ‘voice cast’. This displays request cards on your Amazon Echo or Fire tablet. But don’t go trying out the ‘voice cast’ yet. It’s still in test mode. It will probably take six weeks for it to be out. When it is, it will be available for New Echo Dot. I doubt it will ever be available for The Fire HD.
I have mixed to good feelings for this Fire HD. The price is only $90! This comes at a time when new smartphones will cost you $600 or even more. And even then, they can explode on you. Isn’t that right, Samsung? So a $90 price on a tablet that talks is refreshing. What’s not so refreshing is holding a button down so it can talk. That puts physical limitation on the user. And, there are few things more annoying than a device you have to charge every time you blink. So I wold give the Fire HD a B-. It’s a good device to have, but could use a couple of improvements. What grade would you give Fire HD 8?